It’s Crowded in the Granite State

ABC's MICHAEL FALCONE: The main event may be tonight’s Democratic presidential debate, but as the three candidates who will share the stage are quietly preparing today, it’s the Republicans who are making some noise.

New Hampshire is abuzz with political activity -- and you can almost feel in the brisk morning air (the high temperature is not expected to crack 39 degrees) that the first-in-the-nation primary is drawing near. No one knows that more than Jeb Bush, who is struggling to claw his way back in the polls. The former Florida governor is holding a marathon day of events -- four town halls in all -- around the state. He was actually slated for five, but cancelled one in Dover due to the funeral for a U.S. service member being held nearby.

Bush has company: He is joined in the Granite State by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie who is kicking off a multi-day bus tour and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham who has a busy day of events with his good friend, Sen. John McCain, in tow. Graham and McCain were spotted Friday night enjoying a meal together and greeting diners at a popular downtown Manchester eatery. With the holidays right around the corner, the rest of the Republican field isn’t taking the weekend off either. Donald Trump, Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina are campaigning in Iowa. Ted Cruz is stumping in Georgia and Alabama; Marco Rubio in South Carolina; and Mike Huckabee in North and South Carolina.

by Veronica.Stracqualursi12/19/2015 4:04:25 PM

How the Democratic Candidates are Polling in New Hampshire

ABC's PAOLA CHAVEZ: In the critical state of New Hampshire, presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are leading a close race.

The latest poll from Franklin Pierce University/Boston Herald that was conducted from Dec. 13 to Dec. 17 shows the Sen. of Vermont leading former Secretary of State, with 48 percent support, Clinton following closely with 46 percent and Martin O’Malley with 2 percent.

This is Clinton’s highest support in any poll in New Hampshire -- climbing 8 percentage points since May. Despite Sanders 2 percent lead over Clinton, the poll shows 74 percent of people think Clinton will win the nomination versus 16 percent who are pushing for Sanders.

by Veronica.Stracqualursi12/19/2015 4:04:42 PM

Get to know former Governor of Maryland Martin O'Malley ahead of tonight's debate.

by Veronica.Stracqualursi12/19/2015 5:00:00 PM

Ahead of tonight's debate, here's where Clinton, Sanders and O'Malley stand on gun control issues:

by Veronica.Stracqualursi12/19/2015 5:15:00 PM

Meet Bernie Sanders: the Senator from Vermont who leads Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire polls.

by Veronica.Stracqualursi12/19/2015 5:30:00 PM

See the differences between the three Democratic candidates' position on wages and economic issues.

Editor's note: Martin O'Malley has called for increasing the infrastructure budget.

by Veronica.Stracqualursi12/19/2015 6:00:54 PM

Hillary Clinton’s ‘Likeable Enough’ Moment

ABC's VERONICA STRACQUALURSI: Today is the first time since January 2008 that Clinton has returned to the New Hampshire debate stage at St. Anselm College. Nearly eight years ago that Clinton was up against President Obama for the Democratic nomination, and it was the ABC News/ WMUR New Hampshire debate in which Obama famously dismissed Clinton as being “likeable enough.”

Clinton was asked the question: What can you say to the voters of New Hampshire on this stage tonight who see a resume and like it, but are hesitating on the likability issue, where they seem to like Barack Obama more?”

ABC's VERONICA STRACQUALURSI: In the national polls, Hillary Clinton has a comfortable lead over Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley. In the ABC News/Washington Post poll released yesterday, Hillary Clinton leads Bernie Sanders by 31 percent support - polling at 59 percent in comparison to 28 percent for the Vermont senator. Martin O’Malley trails far behind Clinton and Sanders, polling in the single digits still.

Although one candidate’s standing now does not predict his or her performance tomorrow, Clinton was leading then-Senator Barack Obama by 28 points in an ABC News/Washington Post poll around this time in 2007.

by Veronica.Stracqualursi12/19/2015 6:45:00 PM

Hillary Clinton has officially arrived in New Hampshire for the #DemDebate//currently working at a hotel in downtown Manchester

Here's everything you need to know (and probably didn't know) about the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

by Veronica.Stracqualursi12/19/2015 6:56:55 PM

The Secrets of New Hampshire's St. Anselm College: Where Presidential History Is Made

by Veronica.Stracqualursi12/19/2015 7:05:00 PM

Winning in New Hampshire Doesn't Mean Winning the White House

ABC's MERIDITH MCGRAW: To this day, no Democratic presidential candidate has won the New Hampshire primary quite like John F. Kennedy. In 1960, the young Senator from Massachusetts crushed his opponent Pat Brown from California with a whopping 85 percent of the Democratic vote. In 1964, Lyndon Johnson won the New Hampshire primary by a landslide of 95.3 percent, but one could argue that he was facing no serious opposition. Bill Clinton was the first to lose the New Hampshire primary and go on to become president but he wasn’t the last. George W. Bush also lost in the Republican New Hampshire primary in 2000, and in 2008, Barack Obama lost New Hampshire to his rival Hillary Clinton before catching the public’s imagination and going on to win it all in November.

by Veronica.Stracqualursi12/19/2015 7:25:00 PM

All three Democratic presidential candidates stand united in their call for new investments in renewable energy, such as wind and solar power. But there are also key differences between them.

Here’s a closer look at the three Democratic proposals side by side:

by Veronica.Stracqualursi12/19/2015 7:51:00 PM

The Other New Hampshire Race to Watch

ABC's MERIDITH MCGRAW: The race to the White House isn’t the only hot contest in New Hampshire this year. In one of the few federal races with two female opponents, current United States Senator Kelly Ayotte, R-New Hampshire,is defending her seat against current Democratic New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan. Hassan has served as governor since 2012, but now has her eyes on Washington. Currently, Ayotte and Hassan are neck and neck in state polls. Even though Ayotte’s name has mentioned as a potential contender for the No. 2 slot on the presidential ticket, expect to see both Ayotte and Hassan out on the trail with their party’s respective nominees in 2016.

ABC's VERONICA STRACQUALURSI: We know how the Dems are doing, but how are the Republicans shaking out in the Granite State? The latest New Hampshire poll from Boston Herald/Franklin Pierce University that was conducted from December 13-17 shows Donald Trump fourteen points ahead of his other Republican presidential competitors.

Trump, who’s at 26 percent support, is followed by Sen. Marco Rubio, who has 12 percent. Cruz is seeing his highest support in any New Hampshire poll yet with 12 percent. Chris Christie is at 11 percent, Bush at 10 and Kasich with 8 percent. Carly Fiorina is at 6 percent.

With 5 percent, Ben Carson has dropped 11 points since the last Boston Herald/Franklin Pierce University poll released on October 20. The remaining candidates polled at 3 percent or less -- Rand Paul, Mike Huckabee, Lindsey Graham, Rick Santorum, George Pataki and Jim Gilmore.

by Veronica.Stracqualursi12/19/2015 8:51:00 PM

Flashback: How the '92 NH Primary Dubbed Clinton the 'Comeback Kid'

ABC's MERIDITH MCGRAW:Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton may not have won the 1992 Democratic primary in New Hampshire, but after allegations of draft-dodging, an extramarital affair, and a disappointing third place finish during the Iowa primary, the limping Clinton campaign saw second place as a sign they were regaining their stride.

Only a few weeks before the primary, Hillary Clinton joined her husband for a 60 Minutes interview to put the gossip to rest, a move that seemed to work in the Clintons’ favor. Clinton and his campaign put all their resources into New Hampshire by shaking hands and knocking on doors across the Granite State.

Even before primary ballots were finished being counted, Clinton sensed his campaign’s momentum. Smiling from a podium from the Best Western Inn in Merrimack, New Hampshire, Clinton said, “We don’t know yet what the final tally will be, but I think we know enough to say with some certainty that New Hampshire tonight has made Bill Clinton ‘comeback kid.’” Former Massachusetts Senator Paul Tsongas won the Democratic primary in New Hampshire, but in the end just couldn’t catch up to Clinton’s comeback and secure the Democratic nomination.

ABC's PAOLA CHAVEZ: It may come as a surprise that Bernie Sanders is leading in New Hampshire, though not by much, but it could be due to the fact that the Vermont senator is running 16 offices in the Granite State. Since announcing his run for the White House, Sanders has invested a lot of time in New Hampshire, and it seems to be paying off. Less than a month after announcing his candidacy on April 30 , the Vermont Sen. paid Portsmouth, New Hampshire a visit, and has since visited a whopping 16 times.

Not falling too far behind, both in polls and in offices, Hillary Clinton is running 10 offices in New Hampshire. The former Secretary of State hit the trail for the Granite State just days after announcing her run for the White House and has made 15 trips in total.

Similarly, the former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley traveled to New Hampshire early in his campaign, only a day after announcing his candidacy on May 30, and has since invested in 3 offices in the critical state and visited 12 times.

During all the drama of the DNC data breach and the lawsuit, the Sanders campaign still made an incredible amount fundraising. Sources close to the campaign tell ABC's MARYALICE PARKS the campaign raised one million dollars.

ABC's MERIDITH MCGRAW: Back in 1992, a Clinton and a Bush were both on the primary ballot in New Hampshire—Gov. Bill Clinton of Arkansas and President George H.W. Bush, that is. President Bush beat opponent Pat Buchanan in the Republican New Hampshire primary, but it wasn’t enough to win the presidency against the charismatic Democratic Governor from Arkansas, Clinton.

Democratic presidential nominee Gov. Bill Clinton, left, answers a question during a presidential debate as President George Bush tries to make a point at MichiganState University in East Lansing, Mich., Oct. 19, 1992. Credit: Doug Mills/AP Photo

ABC's VERONICA STRACQUALURSI: Though Bernie Sanders leads in the New Hampshire polls, Hillary Clinton leads in the New Hampshire endorsements. She has the endorsement of Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan, who supported Clinton in 2008, and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who publically announced her support of Clinton at a ‘Women for Hillary’ event in Portsmouth. And this week Clinton announced in a press release she has the endorsement of 78 state representatives -- nearly half of the Democratic caucus in the Granite State.

Sanders has also landed endorsements from local New Hampshire chapter of the Service Employees International Union, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

“Presidential Selfie Girls” -- Emma and Abby Nozell -- who became statewide celebrities after getting a “selfie” with every presidential candidates announced earlier this month they were endorsing Clinton.

Martin O’Malley announced back in October he had 21 New Hampshire endorsements including local Democratic activists and a former state senator.